Voices(dot)com's acquisition
of Voicebank(dot)net is in line with their greater strategy of
expanding their footprint in the VO industry.

In the long run, it is likely an
effort to further move buyers to their business model and away from the classic
agency-based model, though they may maintain the site in its current form for
the time being.

Whether or not their play is
ultimately successful will depend on the response of agents and buyers who use
Voicebank. If they continue to use the site, then Voices is well on its way to
achieving their aims. If they resist, or leave the site entirely, especially in
significant numbers, Voices will have bought dead weight.

THE FIRST DOMINO

I suspect this is only the first
domino, however.

Voice123 is the likely next target for
acquisition, as Voices cannot effectively dominate the industry while a
competitor exists which offers jobs of similar or higher quality and similar
volume - but without monetizing every element of the transaction the way Voices
does.

If Voice123 sells to Voices, and agents and buyers stick with
Voicebank under Voices ownership, you'll be left with a
three-tier marketplace:

Fiverr at the very low end,

Voices controlling a
massive share of medium to high quality non-union work, and

SAG/AFTRA.

Plus, of
course, whatever work talent can bring in through their own marketing. This
would obviously have great implications for how talent work, and how much
control others exercise over their working conditions and pay.